Our Mastermind Group

"Dedicated to the relentless pursuit of innovation within the financial services and non-profit communities"

Nicholas Gregory, ChWE, CEBA, ChCCA, ChFWA — Founder, Managing Partner and CEO
Having founded The Wealth Engineering Institute back in 1996, Mr. Gregory and his colleagues have utilized the Institute’s WealthEngineeringTM Platform and a plethora of other resources to engineer the core entities that make up the Wealth Engineering Family of Companies as an ecosystem for families and their businesses and their advisors. In addition to The Wealth Engineering Institute, this consortium of entities includes The Charitable Capital Design Center, The Wealth Engineering Hub, The Family Business Hub and EBenefits Hub. The vast array of services of our Family of Companies are harmonized to surround the ever-changing needs of managers of wealth and their clients. Nick and his colleagues have also founded Give Back Nation, a non-profit organization, which functions as a national community foundation to create even bigger waves of giving across the nation. Mr. Gregory holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Ball State University with minors in Economics and Finance. Mr. Gregory is a member of the Financial Planners Association, The Partnership for Philanthropic Planning, The Charitable Capital Advisory Council and is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Give Back Nation.

Kyle C. Gregory, ChCCA — President of Give Back Nation, a non-profit organization
Kyle and several other entrepreneurial philanthropists developed Give Back Nation as a national community foundation serving hundreds of non-profits on a concierge services basis as well as thousands of giving Americans and their causes. Kyle Gregory has held management positions with UPS, Lowes and The Bank of New York Mellon. Using his vast array of management experience and dedication to “giving back”, Kyle helps great causes expand their fight while creating a “circle of winning” within communities across the nation. Kyle received his bachelors degree in Business Management from the University of Central Florida. He is a member of The Charitable Capital Institute.

Jeff Bae, JD, CVA — Managing Director of Valuation Services
Jeff provides valuation consulting services for business owners, attorneys, accountants, and other professional services providers, for gift and estate tax reporting, income tax reporting, reorganizations, buy/sell agreements, marital dissolution, litigation support, IRC §409A (deferred compensation), financial reporting (i.e., ASC 805/350 and SFAS 123R), ESOPs, and financing purposes.

Jeff began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers in their National Tax Office. As an international tax associate, he advised multinational companies on the tax implications of their international operations as well as coordinating U.S. tax laws with foreign tax laws to develop optimal tax strategies. Jeff’s main expertise is in the valuation of ownership interests in operating businesses and closely-held, private entities that own real properties, marketable securities, and other income-producing assets. He is an active member of national and local professional organizations and frequently travels to Florida to manage VSI’s Miami office. Jeff has been involved in over 6,000 valuation engagements.

Robert Merl — National Business Resource Network Director at BDO USA
Rob leads the Business Resource Network practice of the BDO Alliance USA which provides consulting and business services to the Clients of BDO USA and its 260+ alliance firms across the country. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Economics Ursinus College and an MBA from the University of Maryland.

Mitch Morrison — CEO and Founder of Eyeballs Financial,LLC
Over the past 43 years Mitch has held executive positions with companies such as E.F. Hutton, Allmerica Financial, Travelers Portfolio Group, Smith Barney, Morgan Stanley, Financial West Group and FourStar Wealth Advisors. Mr. Morrison was the past president of Financial West Group with over $4 billion in assets under management and over 100,000 investment accounts. Mitchell is the founder of Financial Literacy Project, a non-profit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to classroom instruction of high school and college students. He is also the author of four books which reflect his education and career. During the “cold war years,” Mitchell was employed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation stationed in Washington D.C. and New York City. He worked in the area of foreign counter intelligence and counter espionage. He also formed and operated “World Trade Center Miracles Foundation” and “Americas Ride” appearing on “Good Morning America”, ABC, CNN, NBC, and CBS. He has organized national fund-raising efforts for both 9/11 World Trade Center relief and Hurricane Katrina disaster relief. He is a graduate of University of Southern California, School of Journalism and George Washington University, Masters Forensic Science.

John A. Warnick — Founder at Purposeful Planning Institute
Mr. Warnick is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. He has served as the Philanthropic Editor of the Journal of Practical Estate Planning and serves on the Carter Center Philanthropy Council and the Multidisciplinary Teaming and Professional Collaboration Committee of the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils. His most recent publications include “Generative Trusts & Trustees: A New Paradigm for Design and Administration”, “Innovate or Die”, and “Selecting a Trust Situs in the 21st Century”. Mr. Warnick received a BA magna cum laude from Brigham Young University and his JD from George Washington University with honors.

John Wilenski, CFA, CPA, CMA — CFO of VyzAi
John is a strategic and performance-focused executive with over 33 years of experience. He is known for his ability to leverage global resources, capabilities, and relationships to increase revenue, cash flow, and profits. With a strong track record of defining mission and goals, John consistently exceeds expectations. He has a wealth of experience in finance, including a capital raise of $225 million senior secured notes and $100 million in SAFEs. John has also demonstrated significant cost savings, lean manufacturing, and technology start-ups. He has held various leadership positions in finance and accounting, including Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President for both public and privately held organizations.
John consults with CFOs on a national basis as they strive to serve the entire financial ecosystems of the enterprises that they serve.